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In SFS, are we allowed to treat higher level ability crystals (or other upgradeable items, however short the list may be) on Starfinder chronicles as upgrades, or do we have to buy them as the exact item at the stated price as shown on the chronicle?
For example, if a chronicle sheet lists:
"mk 2 ability crystal (6,500; item level 7; limit 1)"
...can we use it as an upgrade to a mk 1 ability crystal on a pc for the delta cost?
While there is a general rule regarding this kind of upgrade, the inclusion on a chronicle is specific and doesn't grant that it can be used as a delta upgrade. However, if it were possible to use these items as upgrades, then it would make them much more useful on a landscape of chronicle items that are usually not very useful.
I searched and couldn't find any other discussion on this issue. So, if anyone knows of any similar questions or official answers, please post them here. Thx.
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I don’t see any reason you couldn’t use it as an upgrade.
For the most part, chronicles provide access to a type of item, not a specific item. In practical terms that just means you can buy items up to your level +2 that are on a chronicle. So in this case someone would be willing to install a Mk2 crystal at level 5 instead of 6. Nothing else would be different about the item.
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I definitely agree with you that the upgrade should work, but as found treasure listed on a chronicle, I do not agree that it necessarily represents finding general access to an item type or someone willing to do something for you.
The most common interpretation would be that all chronicle items are specific treasure, unless provided by a service boon -- such as "race x offers you access to a mk 2 ability crystal for your services" where the upgrade would then be intuitive.
If the intent is to be able to use found treasure items for upgrades, then it would be ideal if:
A: The chronicle text said so (as in "mk 2 ability crystal or upgrade")
B: There were a general SFS OP ruling about using any/all listed treasure items for delta upgrades if you already own the base item
And, as far as I can tell, neither A nor B exist, and I don't want my PC to end up in CS retcon purgatory as a consequence of assuming that upgrades using found items are OP legal.
So, if there are no earlier discussions or rulings, then an official OP/dev response would be helpful in answering this question.
Starfinder Society Developer
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Official Clarification:Currently there are no rules on upgrading items. The items on Chronicle sheets are simply access to the specific item. You cannot take a Mk 1 of an item and "pay the difference" to upgrade it to the Mk 2 version of that item using Chronicle sheet access.
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Official Clarification:Currently there are no rules on upgrading items. The items on Chronicle sheets are simply access to the specific item. You cannot take a Mk 1 of an item and "pay the difference" to upgrade it to the Mk 2 version of that item using Chronicle sheet access.
The personal upgrades are the one thing that will upgrade.
You can boost an existing personal upgrade by paying the difference in price between the current model and the next higher model. For example, if you have a mk 1 synaptic accelerator granting you +2 points of Strength, you could increase that to a mk 2 synaptic accelerator granting you a total +4 points of Strength by paying 5,100 credits (the difference in price between the mk 1 and mk 2 models).
Without being able to do that, having them as chronicle sheet loot won't get you anything for most players: anyone that wants a +4 probably already has a +2 in that stat.
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Official Clarification:...You cannot take a Mk 1 of an item and "pay the difference" to upgrade it to the Mk 2 version of that item using Chronicle sheet access.
Thanks, Thurston! I really appreciate you taking the time to clarify this issue to help ensure we make legal SF chronicle purchases! I will wait another level to legally upgrade my PC.
Unfortunately, like BNW, I think this outcome makes SFS chronicles a bit less useful. Was your answer meant to include ability gems (as in SFS#1-21 upper subtier, which was the basis for my question)?
If so, please consider a possible change to this rule in the future. For example, an alternate interpretation might be that anything Starfinder PCs find, they turn into the Lorespire Complex for review that, in turn, gives them access to an equivalent "genericized" item (or maybe a delta cost upgrade), rather than PCs just being stuck with only that specific item.
There might be a precedent for this latter interpretation based on the magic ammunition PFS Chronicle FAQ that says that if you find +1 frost bolts, you can purchase the same enchantment for different equally enchantable ammunition. This FAQ implies that (PFS) chronicle items have a certain malleability (perhaps involving an equivalent exchange service from the Pathfinder Society in Absalom after they receive the loot).
But again, thanks for the clarification! If you did not mean to include personal upgrades/ability gems in your ruling, could you please let us know?